Ironing-machine.



I. F WELLEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 30, I9I3.

1, 52,213 Patented Jan. 1,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I l l I l l l i I l l l I i l l ATTORNEYS I. F. WILLEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 30. 1913.

1,252,2l3 Patented Jan. 1,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Jam 1,1918.

4 SHBETSSHEET 3 INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTGRNEYS i. F. WILLEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-30.1918.

INVENTOR Patented Jan, 1,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 ATTORNEYS 1 I lar articles which are ironed, to be fed into To all whom it may concern:-

a l ISAAC r, WILLEY, or PHILADELPH1ZA, PENNSYLVANIA.

moNrNe-iicmon.

-Be it known that I, IsAAo Frwnmnr, a

i citizen of the United 'States, residing in the city andcounty of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use- I ful Ironing-Machine, of which the followother fluid pressure, which can be increased,

. reliable results, although it isto be 'undering is a specification.

My 1nvent1on relates to a novel construction of an ironing machine, which is -es-.

peciallv adapted to have the collars, or simithe machine laterally, and wherein I provide a novel construction'of floating bearings for certain ofthe ironing rollers, said bearing being guided or slidingly mounted in a suitable portion of the frame work of the machine, and having secured to or projecting from their upper surfaces, a pneu- 'matic cushioning device, provided with means for the introduction of fluid pressure above and below the piston thereof,

whereby the requisite yielding pressure may be exerted at all times upon said floating.

bearings and the rollers, journaled therein, whereby I am enabled to attain better results than hertofore, since the ironing rollers are caused to engage the artlclesi to beironed with only the necessary or requisite pressure to produce the desired finish, which cannot be accomplished in ironing machines of the conventional type, wherein the ironing rollers are mounted in fixed bearings or bearings actuated by springs.

To the above ends, my invention consists of a novel construction of ironing machine having the bearings for the ironing rollers yieldingly supported upon a cushion of air or diminished or otherwise regulated, according to requirements.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be 'hereinafter fully set forth. 4

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and stood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and that my invention is not limited tothe precise arrange ment and organization of these instrumen talities, as herein shown and described,

the arrangement of-the cylinders.

r m n m em- Patented Jan. 1, was;

Application filed September 30,1913. Serial No. 792,550.

Figure 1 represent a side elevation of an ironing machine embodying my invention.

F ig. 2 represents a front elevation of the machine.- I I f 3' represents a side elevation, partly in section, of certain of the parts seen in Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

feedis- Flg. 5 is a perspective view of the ing mechanism.

Fig. 6. 's a diagrammatic viewshowing Similar numerals of. reference indicate corresponding parts in the 'figures.

Referring to the drawlngs 1 designates theframe of my novel ironing machine, in which is j ournaled the main driving shaft 2, provided with a tight and a loose pulley 3 and 4 respectively, and pinion 5. The pinion 5 meshes with a gear wheel 6, fast on a shaft. 7 journaled in the frame 1, said shaft-7 having fast thereon a pinion 8 and sprocket wheels 9 and 10. The sprocket wheel 9 imparts motion through a chain 11, to a sprocket wheel 12, fast on a shaft 13, journaled in the frame 1. The

14 and 15, as seen in'Fig. 4, for engagement with the sprocket chains 16 and 17, respectively, whereupon a rotary motion may be imparted to the padded rollers 18 of relatively small diameter, that are journaled in groups in the floating boxes or bearings 19,

as will be understood from theright por tion of Fig. 3 and from Fig. 4.

The bearings 19 are each provided with a stem- 20, which is adjustablyfitted in an opening 21, in theframe 1, so that said bearings may be properly guided in their movements toward andaway from the drum 22 journaled in the frame 1.

' shaft 13 has fast thereon the sprocket wheels I Each journal bearing 19 has swiveled or operation of the piston head 25 and its adjuncts. The pinion 8 engages a -gear wheel 30 fast on the tubular shaft 31, journaled in the frame 1, and which has secured thereto the drum. 22. The sprocket wheel imparts motion to a chain 32, that is in engagement with a sprocket wheel 33,, so as to rotate the latter, and consequently the shaft 34 and hollow roller- 35 fast thereon.

The shaft 34 has fast thereon a gear .wheel 36 that meshes with a gear wheel 37 fast on the shaft '38, to which is secured the feedroller 39. The shaft 38 is journaled in the heads 40, from which depend piston rods 41, whose heads 42 are fitted within the cylinders 43, securedto the frame 1. The cylinders 43 are provided with ports 44 and 45 for admission of compressed air or other motive fluid so as to movetheroller 39 to- Ward and away from the roller '35, as will one form of such adjustment in Fig.3, the

operation of which will be apparent.

' Secured in the frame. 1, is a rod 47 that.

serves as a guard to prevent an operators hands from reaching the feed rollers and 39. The frame 1 has secured thereto a receptacle 48 for the collars 49 or other articles to be ironed, and also with a receptacle .50 for the ironed articles.

It will be seen on referring to the diagrammatic view in Fig.- 6, that the cylinders 26 are in communication with an air compressor 51, through the pipes 52 and 53, and that the two latter lead to a three-way valve 54 that is connected to a pipe 55, leading from the air compressor 51. I deem it unnecessary to. show or describe the threeway valve in detail, as any conventional type of valve may-be employed, according to requirements, and such valve maybe located at any point in the piping system, whichwill be convenient to'the operator.

The operation of the machine is as follows:'

Assuming that steam. or other suitable.

heating medium is introduced into the drum .22 and roller 35, by any suitable means, and

that the machine is set'in motion, by the rotationof the gears and other power trans- .mission devices, the .operator places a collar 49 or. other article to be ironed upon the receptacle 48, as seen in Fig; 5, and feeds said collar 49, preferably laterally, as shown, to the rollers 35 and 39, so that the collar is drawnbetween said rollers, whereupon the first step "in the process of ironing takes place. The collar 49 then slides or travels downthe inclined table or ledge 46, seen in Fig. '3, and is directed thereby to the drum 22 and the foremost roller 18 in the series of rollers '18, whereupon said collar is moving toward the ulating device,

drawn between the drum' 22 and series of through the pipes 55, valve 54 and pipes 52 into the upper portion of each cylinder 26, thereby causingthe piston head 25 thereon and. its adjuncts to lower, whereupon the rollers-18 are caused to bear against a collar 49, with a" proper degree of pressure, and

which may be regulated orimcreased or diminished, according to requirements, and is regulated by adjusting the valve 54.

When the heads 25 in the cylinder 26, through the pipes 53 and are directed by the latter to an exhaust port,

thecylinders 26 are q drum 22, the air on the opposlte s1de of said heads 25 escape from not shown but of conventional construction,

in the valve 54.

When the handle of the valve 54 is turned to the right from its position seen in Fig. 6, the flow of air from the compressor 51 will pass through the pipes 55 and 53 to the underside of the piston heads 25, and thus. cause the rollers 18v to move away from the drum 22, in which case the pipes 52 now become exhaust pipes and direct the air to. the I usual exhaust port, not. shown, in the valve 54, or, in other words, the flow of air is in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6, with the exception of the loo arrow that indicates the fiow of air in the.

pipe 65.

It will therefore be seen from the foregoing that by the employment of the. feed roller 39, having the pneumatic pressure regthe desired pressurecan be readily attained with respect to the feed roller 39 by the proper manipulation of the three-way valve or cook 54. Byarranging the ironing rollers 18 in groups of-threes, which can be increased or diminished, according to requirements, in their floating bearings and by employing the fluid pressure regulating devices in connection therewith, I am enabled to get'the desired or requisite pressure upon the articles which are being ironed, around the principal operative surface of the drun1 .22. By the employment of the piston rods 24 having the interlocking heads thereon, and by making the cylinders 26 detachable from the brackets 27, I am enabled to readily assemble the principal operative mechanismsfiin a convenient and expeditious manner, and the ironing rollers 18 and their adjuncts, as well as the operating mechanism therefor are readily accessible at all times for the purpose of Inspection, replacement or repairs. i

It will of course be understood that the source of fluid pressure supply, as the compressed air tank '51 may bevarranged at any convenient point with respect to the machine, and that the three-way cock or valve 54 may be located at any desired point so as readily made accessible at any time for the purpose of inspection or repairs.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of an ironing machine, which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the Statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the .safne is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desirg to secure by'Letters Patent, is

1. In an ironing machine, the combination of frame sides having radially-disposed openings, a drum mounted to'turn between the frame sides, brackets fixed to the frame sides, journal-bearings movable radially within said brackets and having inwardly extending stems disposed and movable. ra-

, dially in said openings in the frame-sides, a

transverse roller journaled in and extending between said bearings and opposed to the periphery of, the drum, cylinders carried by the brackets and extending radially outward therefrom, pistons movable in said cylinders and having rods connected with the journal bearings, and means'for supplying fluid under pressure to and exhausting,

theisamefrom the cylinders at opposite sides of the pistons.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination of .frame sides having radially disposed openings, a drum mounted to turn between the frame sides, brackets fixed to the frame sides, Stems disposed and movable radially in said openings in the frame sides, journal bearings fixed to and extending in opposite directions from the outer ends of the stems and substantially parallel to the periphery of the drum, transverse rollers journaledjn and extending between said bearings, cylinders carried by the brackets and extending, radially outward therefrom, pistons mov-- able in said cylinders and having rods connected with the central portions of the journal bearings, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to and exhausting the same from the cylinders at opposite sides of the pistons.

3. The combination in an ironing machinefof frame sides having radially-disposed openings, radially-disposed cylinders fixed with respect to the frame sides and spaced outwardly beyond the outer ends'of said openings and arranged in radial alinement therewith, journal bearings movable radially between the outer ends of said openings and the inner ends of said cylinders andhaving inwardly extending stems movable radially in the openings, a'drum mounted to turn between the frame sides, .a transverse roller opposed to the periphery of the drum and j ournaled in said bearings, pistons movable in the cylinders and having rods connected with the journal bearings, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to and ex hausting the same from the cylinders at opposite sides of the pistons.

' ISAAC F. WILLEY.

Witnesses: 1 

